What I've Noticed

These observations do not diagnose Alex or reduce a complex child to one explanation. They bring the parent’s examples and the school picture together so the most useful questions become clearer.

The task changes

Ideas are stronger than the page suggests

Alex can explain a science idea, answer questions and invent a story aloud. The sticking point appears when those ideas must be held, ordered and written at the same time.

Across settings

Home and school may see different moments

School sees a quiet child who usually starts. Home sees the exhaustion and frustration afterwards. Both accounts can be true, and the difference is useful information.

The question beneath the concern

What helps Alex find a route into writing?

Rather than asking only whether work is finished, it may be more revealing to notice what happens at the starting point: how much language Alex must hold in mind, whether a plan is visible, and whether talking first changes what follows.

Parent Concern Report — prepared by Philippa Cooper B.Ed., Independent Educational Consultant.